2015 ANNUAL REPORT - Entertainment Software Association
2015ANNUALREPORTA YEAR OF INNOVATION AND ACHIEVEMENT
Front cover and this page: More than52,000 industry professionals, analysts,journalists and gamers attended E3 2015at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
CONTENTS3A Message from ESA President and CEO Michael D. Gallagher4The Voters to Court in 2016: Video Game Players6Preparing Digital Natives To Be Digital Citizens8E3 2015 Raises The Bar10ESA Research Program Explores Industry Reach, Gamer Community12ESA Foundation, Extra Life Raise Millions for Children14Federal Government Affairs17State Government Affairs21Communications & Industry Affairs23Legal, Policy & Regulatory Affairs26ESA Foundation28Entertainment Software Rating Board34Entertainment Software Association of Canada36ESA Members
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A MESSAGE FROMMICHAEL D. GALLAGHERFriends:It is my pleasure to present to you the EntertainmentSoftware Association’s (ESA) 2015 Annual Report. Over thelast year, the video game industry has prospered as gamescontinue to not only alter the entertainment landscape, butchange business, sports, arts and education. While 20 yearsago games were a niche entertainment medium, today theyare a strong engine for innovation across sectors.Our industry plays a significant role throughout society.Today, more than 60 percent of Americans play videogames, our industry generates over 23 billion in annualU.S. sales, and video game companies and degree programsnow stretch across 46 states and 84 congressional districts.The video game industry continues to push the envelopeand deliver groundbreaking innovations that shape ourindustry and many others. In 2015, excitement aroundvirtual reality (VR) and its promise to provide an exhilaratingnew way to experience games and entertainment dominatedthe news. VR is also paving the way for advancements inother sectors: it is used as a diagnostic and surgical tool byhealthcare professionals; it is engaging students in criticalSTEM subjects; it is even helping to prepare astronauts forlife in space and training them for their next mission.This technology revolution is also ushering in a newgeneration of gamers—gamers who are highly engaged,informed and have strong opinions on critical issues. In fact,a survey we conducted in the fall found that 80 percent ofgamers intend to cast their vote in the 2016 presidentialelection, compared to just 75 percent of the generalpopulation. These voters hold strong opinions on criticalissues and more than 1 million of them are working throughthe Video Game Voters Network (VGVN) to ensure theirvoices are heard in government offices across the country.With such a powerful voice, the Gamer Vote will undoubtedlyinfluence the political landscape in 2016 and beyond.The tremendous growth of games and gametechnologies has also driven ESA to new heights.We welcomed leading companies—including BethesdaSoftworks, Vantiv, Greybox, Magic Leap and Snail Games—as new members in 2015, and celebrated our mostengaging E3 in the show’s history. We also marked 15 yearsof giving back to local communities through the ESAFoundation. This important work was punctuated by ourcontinued support for Extra Life, an annual 24-hour videogame marathon which raised more than 8 million dollarsfor Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals during its2015 event.We continue to expand and protect the industry’sfrontiers. Where we once had a limited policy focus andoften played defense, today we are active on dozens ofissues and have established proactive partnerships that arehaving a meaningful impact. As a result of our efforts, theway people think and talk about video games is changing,and they increasingly understand that our industry is avibrant part of American culture and the economy.Since ESA’s beginning in 1994, we have seenunparalleled growth in the video game industry. We’ve seenhow games can play a pivotal role in our everyday lives andhow they can help us take on some our nation’s toughestshared challenges. I look forward building upon our manysuccesses and seeing what new and exciting endeavors ourindustry will take on next.Sincerely,Michael D. GallagherPresident and CEOEntertainment Software AssociationESA 2015 ANNUAL REPORT3
In 2015, VGVN launched Start Democracyand announced its 1 millionth member.4
THE VOTERS TOCOURT IN 2016:VIDEO GAME PLAYERSWith presidential candidates in full motion, House and Senate hopefuls busy courting voters and localcandidates travelling door-to-door, politicians across the country are discovering a highly engagedsegment of the electorate: video game players.In November 2015, ESA released a poll revealing that video gameplayers, like soccer moms before them, are an important group, onethat will help shape our country’s future. The first-of-its-kind survey,Essential Facts About Gamers and Politics, sought to uncover gameplayers’ voting habits and political leanings, and found that gamerswill play a major role in the 2016 presidential election.According to the survey, more than 80 percent of gamers—roughly 100 million people—said they anticipate voting in 2016.Gamers also shared their thoughts about hot-button issues such asforeign policy—49 percent believe the U.S. should engage with othercountries; global warming—76 percent believe that human activity iscausing or contributing to global warming; and the budgetdeficit—61 percent lean toward cutting programs and spending.The survey found that gamers identify equally as Republicansand Democrats.Video game players have long been a politically active group. Fornearly a decade, gamers have organized under the Video Game VotersNetwork (VGVN), a grassroots coalition of voting-age game playersthat mobilizes around public policy matters affecting the computerand video game industry and ensures that players’ voices are heard.All told, VGVN members have sent countless letters, emails andmessages to their members of Congress to speak up for their rights.This coalition has swelled in recent years. In the fall, ESAannounced that more than 1 million players have signed up withVGVN to ensure that video games continue to enjoy the rightsafforded them by the Constitution—the same rights as books,movies, music and television.To commemorate this milestone, VGVN launched StartDemocracy—a voter registration campaign aimed at increasing gamerturnout on Election Day. Beyond getting gamers to the polls in 2016,Start Democracy will highlight the need for candidates to address theconcerns of the Gamer Vote. VGVN is partnering with Rock the Vote,the largest U.S. nonprofit and nonpartisan organization focused ondriving youth to the polls. To promote this new initiative, a collectivegoal was set to register more than 1 million millennials by ElectionDay. VGVN will also encourage candidates to speak directly togamers, promote voter registration at key political and video gameindustry events and utilize the unique reach and culture of videogames to drive gamers to the polls.This groundswell of support underscores how video games andthose who play them are firmly cemented in the mainstream, takingcenter stage when it comes to shaping culture, politics and thebroader U.S. society.As ESA President and CEO Mike Gallagher said,“Gamers are engaged, informed and hold strong opinions oncritical issues. From both sides of the aisle, and in every stateacross the country, they will influence the course of ournation’s future.”ESA 2015 ANNUAL REPORT5
PREPARINGDIGITAL NATIVES TOBE DIGITAL CITIZENSESA Digital Living Project students from theBertha Sadler Means Young Women’s LeadershipAcademy in Austin.6
Kids today are attuned to the latest digital technologies, adopting new devices, software and onlineplatforms at a rapid pace. Though often described as digital natives, research has found gaps in theirunderstanding of the appropriate ways to use technology and lagging interest in creating technologiesof their own. While many kids use these technologies to communicate positively with friends and family,others have been bullied or share inappropriate content online. At the same time, the National ScienceBoard projects that of the 3.8 million ninth graders in the U.S., only 6 percent will end up pursuing ascience, technology, engineering or math (STEM) degree in college.Recognizing the dual need to promote responsible online behavioramong students while fostering their interest in STEM subjects andcareers, ESA partnered with EverFi—a leading education technologycompany—to create the ESA Digital Living Project. Leveraging anEverFi-developed curriculum, the program combines the power ofrich media, engaging video games and real-world simulations toeducate teens about online safety. Students also build digital skills,such as how to create a blog, maintain a responsible socialnetworking profile and evaluate the legitimacy of online sources andreceive an introduction to career opportunities within STEM fields.With courses for both middle and high school students, studentsdemonstrate their mastery of technology and STEM skills aspresented through real-life scenarios and engaging virtual missions.In fall 2015, ESA joined with school administrators, local officialsand students in three major cities to celebrate the Digital Living Project’sexpansion to additional schools and kick off the new school year.At the Santee Education Complex in downtown Los Angeles,more than 200 students gathered for an event featuring CaliforniaAssemblywoman Ling Ling Chang (R), who underscored theimportance of STEM education in preparing youth to succeed inhigh-skilled, high-tech jobs. Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D) andrepresentatives from the Los Angeles Mayor’s office, the Los AngelesCity Council and the Los Angeles Unified School District Board alsoattended and spoke with students. Following the assembly, girls inthe school’s STEM & Coding Program attended a special luncheonwith female game developers from Activision and a representativefrom the University of Southern California’s Video GameDevelopment Program.In October, Bronx Borough Deputy President Aurelia Greene (D),New York Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo (D), New York State Sen.Ruben Diaz Sr. (D), and Take-Two Interactive Software Vice Presidentof Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Alan Lewis joinedESA at the Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Science School in the Bronxto recognize more than 60 middle school students who hadcompleted the Digital Living Project.In November, ESA hosted an event at the Bertha Sadler MeansYoung Women’s Leadership Academy in Austin, Texas. AcademyPrincipal Ivette Savina, Certain Affinity Business RelationshipManager Geoff Yetter and Austin ISD Executive Director of Careerand Technical Education Annette Gregory spoke with Digital LivingProject students, who later had an opportunity to meet with localprofessionals who work in STEM fields.“It is critical that we provide our schools with effective andmeaningful resources in the classroom,” said Gregory. “I congratulatethe students today on their achievements and thank theEntertainment Software Association for its efforts in engagingstudents about STEM technology and careers and helping to prepareour young people for the jobs of the future.”The Digital Living Project has reached nearly 20,000 studentsacross California, Texas and New York since the program’s inceptionin 2012. Participants have learned important skills through theircoursework, with students scoring 59 percent higher on postprogram tests compared to pre-program tests.“Participating in the ESA Digital Living Project has opened up thedoors to a diverse amount of careers,” said one program participant.“The program has taught me many things like how to detect thecorrect websites, how to avoid malware, and the basics of selectingthe correct computer/laptop. This has helped me gain knowledge formy future career path.”ESA and EverFi will continue to expand the program in 2016.ESA 2015 ANNUAL REPORT7
E3 2015RAISES THE BARBreaking records as the most-watched, talked about and expansive show to date, E3 2015 once againproved why it is the video game industry’s premier global trade show.INCLUDINGMORE THANPRODUCTSWERE SHOWN52,200Video game professionals,analysts, journalists andenthusiasts, including forthe first time around 5,000PROSUMERS, ATTENDED.A record100Never-before-seen games,hardware and other products.300 EXHIBITORSshowcased the latest inentertainment software, anincrease from 187 last year.300exhibitors1 3 international companiesof exhibitors wereATTENDEES REPRESENTED109 COUNTRIES, morethan the number of countriesthat attended the 2014Winter Olympic Games.1than the total number of6.3 MILLION TWITTER POSTS, moretweets about the 2015 Oscars.2.5 M I L L I O NA R E CraOmRlikDes 7on E3-related posts.Instag8
An E3 attendee tries out the latestgame titles on the show floor.E3 2015 brought together more than 52,000 video game professionals,analysts, journalists, enthusiasts and for the first time ever, about5,000 prosumers. Attendees traveled to downtown Los Angeles from109 countries to experience the latest innovations in gametechnology and software and get a glimpse of the industry’s future.The show’s 300 exhibitors—up from 187 in 2014—showcasedmore than 1,600 products, including 100 never-before-seen games,hardware and other items. E3 2015 also featured nearly 30augmented and virtual reality exhibitors—a 350 percent increase inthe number of participating emerging reality technology companiessince 2014 that underscored the industry’s position as a leader incutting-edge technology.E3 2015 also broke the show’s records for fan engagement,generating an incredible 6.3 million tweets and 7.5 million Instagramlikes. More people watched streaming video of E3 on Twitch thanviewed the NBA Finals in 2015 and more than 2 million videos of theevent were posted to YouTube and Twitch.“More than any other E3, this year was about the gamer.E3 demonstrated both the remarkable transformation ofentertainment taking place on all video game platforms—virtualreality, augmented reality, hardware, mobile and handheld—andawesome games,” said Mike Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA.E3 2016 is scheduled for June 14-16 in Los Angeles and will buildon the show’s resounding success in 2015.MORE THAN 21 MILLION VIEWERS WATCHED E3 ON TWITCH, nearly doublethe number of last year’s viewers and more than the average viewership forthe 2015 NBA Finals. 327AUGMENTED & VIRTUALREALITY EXHIBITORSMORE THANTWO MILLIONE3-RELATED VIDEOSPOSTED TO YOUTUBE & TWITCH840,000 CONCURRENT VIEWERS WATCHED THE E3 PRESS CONFERENCESON TWITCH, more than the number of people that live in Washington D.C.474MOBILE ympics 2. anvs-data-20150223-story.html 3. http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2015/story/ michael-jordan-last-season-chicago-bulls 4. www.census.gov1.ESA 2015 ANNUAL REPORT9
ESA RESEARCH PROGRAMEXPLORES INDUSTRY REACH,GAMER COMMUNITYThroughout 2015, ESA collaborated with partners including the Higher Education Video GameAlliance (HEVGA) to conduct original research exploring the continued growth and breadth of thevideo game industry.Americans are playing video games more oftenand are fostering social connections while doingso. According to the ESA’s Essential Facts aboutthe Computer and Video Game Industry, releasedin April, more than 150 million Americans areplaying video games and more than 42 percentplay at least three hours a week.Not only are Americans playing video gamesfor entertainment, they are also using videogames to connect with family and friends. Morethan half of the most frequent video game players reported thatvideo games enable them to spend time with family and more thanthree quarters of parents who participated in the survey said theyplay games with their children as a way to have fun as a family.People are playing games while on the move and consider gamesupport to be extremely important when shopping for a new tabletor smartphone. ESA’s Commuting Gamer: Gameplay On-the-Go reportfound Americans are spending nearly one-third of their monthlycommuting and spend nearly 32 each month on game-relatedpurchases. The report also revealed that when purchasing newhardware or mobile devices, 70 percent of gamers consider devicesupport for game play to be extremely important.10“Video games are a fixture in our daily lives. Everywhere youlook—whether at home or on a bus, train or plane—Americans areplaying games and sharing the fun with others,” said Mike Gallagher,president and CEO of ESA. “Our industry leads the way in creatinginnovative entertainment, and remarkable advances in mobiletechnology enable people to enjoy their favorite games wheneverand wherever they choose.”Universities and colleges are preparing future leaders forsuccess in game design careers, providing them with the criticalskills necessary to succeed in game design studios that createimmersive, world-leading technologies. According to researchESA conducted in collaboration with HEVGA, as of October 2015,there are more than 1,641 video game development studios andpublishing companies operating 1,871 separate video facilitiesnationwide. In order to meet these studios’ growing demand forhighly-educated designers, more colleges and universities are offeringdegrees in game design and development. ESA and HEVGA found406 higher education institutions are offering these degreeprograms, up from 390 institutions in 2014. College programsand game companies stretch across 46 states and 84 percent ofcongressional districts.
The Commuting Gamer: Gameplay On-the-GoKEY FINDING 1KEY FINDING 434% of commuters with an average roundtrip commuteof 3 hours play video games while commutingSmart phones are by far the most used platformwhen commuting34%80%43%KEY FINDING 2Commuters spend almost a third (32%) oftheir commute time playing gamesHours spent playing gameswhile commuting10Total hourscommutingKEY FINDING 5Most commuting gamers also play games whennot commuting3310.50Commuters use smart phones to play 80 percent of the time,nearly twice as much as tablets (43 percent) the next mostused device.20304095% play games when not commutingAverage Hours Spent Commuting Per Month94% play games weekly whennot commutingKEY FINDING 3Device support for game play is extremely importantKEY FINDING 6Most non-game playing commuters could be motivatedto become gamers with the right incentive62%70 percent of gamers consider device support for game playextremely important when shopping for a new tablet or smartphone.0%20%40%60%80%100%Free WiFi (32 percent) and good Internet connectivity(26 percent) were the top incentives.ESA 2015 ANNUAL REPORT11
Extra Life participants play video gamesto support children’s hospitals.12
ESA FOUNDATION,EXTRA LIFE RAISE MILLIONSFOR CHILDRENGamers are a generous group. Each fall, tens of thousands of video game enthusiasts join together forExtra Life—a 24-hour video game marathon and fundraiser supported by the ESA Foundation—to benefitChildren’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals across North America.Extra Life invites gamers to sign up for the event and gathersponsorships from friends and family members for every hour of gameplay. Gamers can choose which CMN Hospital their donations willsupport and can play any game on any platform of their choice for anyduration of time to support sick children in their communities. Somegamers have even come together to form 50 official Extra LifeGuilds—groups that are working to grow the Extra Life movementacross the U.S. and Canada and encourage local organizations to jointhe cause.Extra Life 2015, the most successful ever, raised more than 7million, bringing the program’s overall fundraising total to more than 16 million. These funds help provide outstanding pediatric healthcare to every child in need, regardless of their family’s ability
Gamers also shared their thoughts about hot-button issues such as foreign policy—49 percent believe the U.S. should engage with other countries; global warming—76 percent believe that human activity is causing or contributing to global warming; and the budget deficit—61 percent lean toward cutting programs and spending.
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